C'est Mon Jour De Veine
by Reticent Onslaught
Summary: Don't worry, it's not in French!    The ruthless killing machine, Noble Six, encounters her only weakness when she joins her new squad. Love!
1. Chapter 1

_**C'est Mon Jour De Veine**_

_Someone Up There Loves Me_

Noble Team would be a team of five no longer, once their newest addition found their way to the base. ETA, sometime very soon. Noble 1, Carter, was discussing the missing fire teams that were sent out to investigate a loss of contact with the Visegrad Relay. That of course, was something very unusual. A communications outpost didn't just simply stop working. And now it was their turn to check things out. Noble 2, Catherine—or Kat—was tinkering idly with her cybernetic arm, though on high alert as usual. Ever since the loss of Thom, she was always on edge, making snide remarks to Carter, and just being generally rude. Noble 3, Jun, was outside, sitting in a waiting Falcon. Stoic as always, for once, he was actually being quiet. He was perhaps the chattiest of the entire team. Strange thing for a sniper.

Noble 4 and 5 were back inside the base, Emile sharpening a Kukri on one of his shoulder plates, and Jorge—less productively—was simply lounging around. Everyone was going about their pre-mission business, until the sound of footsteps alerted those inside to someone approaching. Kat at once stopped what she was doing and moved to the door to "greet" their new arrival. A pale purple armored Spartan appeared moments later, blocked from going through the doorway completely by Kat's arm.

"Commander?" She asked, tearing Carter's attention away from the screen he was talking to, as well as Jorge from his doing nothing.  
>"So this is our new number Six." Jorge said with a grin, his voice a thick growl. Noble Six was a female, surprisingly enough. With pale purple armor, covered in scratches and burns, it was easy to tell that she was extremely capable. Lone wolves typically were. She eyed Kat warily, like she was…competition. An almost feral instinct always came over her in the presence of the other female Spartan III's. She had to be better, no matter what. But that was the whole reason she had been forced into doing missions on her own up until this moment, because she was too competitive. Eyeing Carter now, he turned around before she could form an opinion of her CO.<br>"You read her file, Kat?" Emile asked as he entered the room.  
>"Only the parts that weren't covered in black."<p>

Six didn't pay much attention to Emile. She knew his type perfectly fine. For fucks sake, he had scratched a skull into his helmet. He was specialized in CQC. Arrogant, cold, and full of himself. It was written all over his scratched up faceplate. She didn't need to read the files of Noble to know how things went around here. Finally, there was the…strange addition of Jorge. He was a II, far more superior to her and everyone else. But why let himself get ordered around by a bunch of children? That wasn't her concern however. She was only here to follow orders. Not ask questions.

Jorge noticed her looking at him, and gave her a quizzical head tilt. "Need anything, Six?" Immediately, she looked away and didn't respond.

"Anyone claim responsibility, sir?" Carter asked the computer screen he was so focused on. Colonel Urban Holland's voice crackled out of its speakers. Noble Actual, if Six remembered correctly.  
>"ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, Noble One."<p>

"Sir, consider it done." Carter half turned to face everyone. Jorge and Emile rose from where they sat, and Six tensed up more. Didn't expect to be shipped out so soon, but that's how it was. Little down time for the Spartans.

"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out."

Carter snatched up his helmet, looked over at Six again, and the five of them began to head out. "Lieutenant."  
>"Commander, sir." Six replied, her voice wasn't the most beautiful thing in the world. Hell, she found that it sounded actually rather…manly. But at least not bitchy.<br>"I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader. That's Kat, Noble Two, Emile and Jorge, Four and Five. You're riding with me, Noble Six."

_Thanks for telling me what I already knew, Commander._

Jorge, Emile and Kat lead the way outside, where two Falcons sat waiting. One with Jun already seated inside.  
>"I'm not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled." He continued on, though Six didn't really bother paying attention. The others broke off towards the empty Falcon, while the two of them kept walking.<p>

"Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. Just one thing. I've seen your file. Even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skill set, but we're a team. That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

The engines of the two Falcons roared to life, and in a matter of seconds, they were off to investigate the downed Relay.

"Ah, it's good to be home." Jorge's voice crackled onto SquadCOM as he let out a nostalgic little sigh.  
>"Hey, while we're at it, we should go pay your old base a visit," Emile chimed in.<br>"Nah, it's probably long gone by now. I almost miss those runs we took before the sun came up, and the stun batons. Those were the days." He chuckled to himself.

"Stun batons?" Six asked, "We never got those back in Curahee. Too few trainees to wield them."  
>"Looks to me like they wouldn't have worked on you anyway, Six." Jorge responded and chuckled slightly. "What happened to your class, anyway? Beta, was it?"<br>"The entire company, save for Kat and I, and two others got annihilated in a single mission, to destroy a Covenant fuel refinery."  
>Jorge hissed inward, "Ouch."<br>Six began picking at the plating on her left arm, "Any more questions, five?"  
>"Well, I—"<br>Kat interrupted him, "No more talk about the past. It happened, and you don't need to know anything else. Understood?" She asked sharply. Her irritation was so clear on her voice that a deaf man could probably hear it.

"Yes ma'am." Jorge looked out towards his left and at the other Falcon, watching Six as she stared at the scenery below them. "So about your file, six—"  
>"Always with the questions, Jorge," Emile interrupted this time, mocking him almost playfully.<br>"Let the big guy ask what he wants, Emile." Jun finally spoke up, "I was actually about to ask the same thing."  
>Surprised by this, Six looked up. They were oddly fascinated by her. Not afraid, like the Marines she'd often times had to temporarily command. They could tell how lethal she was just from looking at her. Noble team however, was much more friendly.<p>

"Why is it covered in black?" She asked herself, "Simple really. My CO after training had decided I could do some 'work' for him. He called me his little Grim Reaper, actually. I guess I had a lot of potential for assassinations. He sent me out to take out those who threatened him. Civilians, other military officials, that kind of thing." Six didn't sound at all phased by the fact that she had been a puppet since the day she was done with training. Hell, she'd almost been taken out before her training was done, because she had a knack for badly wounding her handlers.  
>"'Grim Reaper'?" Jorge asked, then paused and let out a little 'hmph'.<p>

"Cut the chatter, Noble and listen up. We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrad. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online." Carter broke off their conversation as they began to get closer to their LZ to explain just what it was they were up for. Each of them began surveying their surroundings and prepping their equipment.  
>"Just get me under the hood, Commander," Kat chimed in. She was the only one who would be able to bring the Relay back online, being the 'technical marvel' that she was.<p>

"Sir, why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" Jorge asked. Six could see him give another head tilt.  
>"You get a chance, maybe you can ask them, Jorge."<p>

Six removed her MA37 Assault Rifle from the magnet on her back, checked and double checked it to make sure everything was in proper condition, and did the same with her M6C Pistol. Everything was reliable enough, but it never hurt to be too cautious. She listened as Kat discovered their communications to the outside were jammed and the Falcons began their decent into the LZ.

"Aim for the distress beacon," Kat ordered. Six bristled again at her words. If it was up to her, she wouldn't stand for orders from a bitch.  
>"Could be the missing troopers," Carter said, "Put us down on the bluff. Jun, you be our eyes in the sky."<br>The Falcons settled down next to each other on the bluff as gently as butterflies on flower petals. "Let's go, Six."

**Clearly I do not own Halo: Reach, although I would consider this rendition of Noble Six to be mine.  
>I would greatly appreciate any sort of feedback.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Emile took point, Kat and Carter behind him, and Six with Jorge.  
>"You're pretty slow, big guy." She said to him with a chuckle as they made their way towards the distress beacon. They hadn't encountered anything yet, so perhaps this mission would be an easy one.<br>"Hey, you try hauling this bloody thing around with you everywhere," He replied and gave the machine gun a shake. The Spartan II was actually quite friendly. More so than the others of Noble. He knew that humor could often times keep one from going mad on the battlefield. Having even civilian blood on your hands was something that nearly made her go mad once, because she had been ordered to kill them. Why did she do it then? She didn't know.

"Structure point 3-4, looks clear from this angle." Jun crackled over the COM from up in the Falcon. They found themselves looking at a small building, a burning vehicle of some sort—scorched to the point of being unrecognizable—and a pile of palettes. Emile gave the pile a swift kick and they shattered, revealing the distress beacon underneath. He tossed it over to Kat, who examined it briefly before tossing it back onto the ground.  
>"Make out any ID?" Carter asked her as she strode on past him.<br>"Negative, but it is military."

Jorge looked around and adjusted his grip on his weapon, "So where are the troopers?"  
>Six shrugged, and Kat shoved hard past her to look around the area more. ""Why are we not seeing explosives residue?" Noble Two asked. Six balled up one hand into a fist, ready to land a solid one right into her faceplate, but was stopped by Jorge's hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and jerked her shoulder away. "Don't touch me," she hissed over a Private COM channel she opened up between them, so no one else would hear.<br>"Believe me, I've thought of clocking her before too, but it's just not worth it."  
>"I think it sure would be."<br>"Come. We need to focus on the mission."

She cut the link and moved away from him to further examine the area with the others. Carter eyed the sky for Jun, who was thirty feet away. "Noble Three, can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?"  
>"Negative sir."<br>"Plasma, maybe?" Emile suggested.  
>Jorge looked over at him quickly, "Can't be. Not on Reach."<br>"There _is_ a _lot _of blood on the ground." He nodded his head towards a blood splatter by the burning vehicle.  
>"Alright Noble, there's nothing else for us here. Let's move on." Carter ordered, and they started back towards their destination at a brisk run. They didn't run into much. A few Moa, which Six nearly killed out of surprise, and not much else until Kat—who had taken point this time—spoke up on the COM. "Smoke up ahead, boss."<br>They kept moving, but slowed their pace to approach the next building without possibly alerting anything. "Circle west and check it out. Noble Team: you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence."

They arrived at a house by a cliff side. Debris was everywhere. Broken glass, scorch marks, the works.  
>"Six, move into the house. Go in quiet. I'm right behind you," Carter ordered. Moving into the house, Six stuck low and moved silently and carefully. Her boots didn't even make a sound on the flooring inside. She and Carter found nothing, besides a mess, inside the house.<br>"Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat-sigs in the structure ahead!" Jun pointed out from up in the sky. _I guess he is useful._Six thought and the two went back outside, to find Emile shoving his shotgun in the face of an older looking man.

"Én nem csináltam semmit!" The man cried, "Én nem csináltam semmit!"  
>"On your knees, now!" Emile barked and jabbed him in the back.<br>"Ne lőjön! Ne lőjön!" The man started to tremble, terrified, but Jorge pulled Emile away.  
>"They're not rebels. They're <em>farmers<em>. Look at them." He growled at Noble 4 and forced him to lower his weapon.

"Ask him what they're doing here." Carter nodded to the farmer and rested his Assault Rifle on his shoulder. Six hung back from the scene, keeping watch for anything that might have decided to wait and ambush anyone that showed up. She moved from left to right, stepped forward a few paces, then turned around and swept over another area.

"Mit kerestek itt?" Jorge asked the man before him, trying to keep the man comfortable, along with the others inside by keeping his voice low, gentle.  
>"Csak nem akartunk meghalni."<br>Jorge nodded, and gave him a tap on the shoulder. Looking back at Carter, he shrugged. "Hiding, sir. Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire. It stopped around sunrise."  
>"Valami megölte a fiamat." The farmer added softly, trembling again.<br>Jorge tensed up quickly, "He says something in the fields…killed his son." Something. The only _something _Jorge could think of would be the Covenant. But that was impossible. They couldn't be here at Reach.

"Something?" Carter sounded just as confused as he was. What could be out here?

Jun popped up on the COM once more, but this time a worried tone in his voice. "Commander, be advised. I'm reading heat signatures at the structure directly east from your position. Over."  
>"Copy that. Jorge," Carter readied his rifle. "Get them back inside."<p>

"Azt mondtam, befelé!" Jorge growled, and hurried the farmer back inside the house. They would have to stay quiet if they wanted to survive, and so far it looked like they were doing well. He just hoped they could stick to it. Noble team set off at a sprint towards the structure to the east, and upon arrival, Six and Carter cautiously entered to find two pinned to a wall. Six inwardly hissed, and Carter let out a soft "Damn", catching the interest of Jun.  
>"Fill me in, Commander. What do you see? Over."<br>"We've got military casualties, two of the missing troopers. Looks like they were interrogated... It's messy."

The sound of heavy footsteps across the metal ceiling snapped the two back into action. Six dashed outside to investigate, but found nothing on the roof. Strange.  
>"Watch your trackers," Carter said quietly.<br>"What the hell was that?" Emile asked.  
>"Jun, did you see anything?"<br>"Negative. Thermal's clean."

Six looked back at Noble team as they entered the courtyard, she tilted her head to the side, and was tugged into the direction they were heading by Jorge. "This way, Six. Don't get too ahead of yourself now. Remember, no more lone wolf." He said hoarsely. She shoved him to get him to release her arm,  
>"I said don't touch me, Jorge."<br>"Fine, fine."

They moved into the next building only to find a Skirmisher, which let out an earsplitting squawk and dashed outside.  
>"Damn it!" Carter exclaimed and let out a quick burst of fire.<br>"Covenant!"  
>"Contact, contact! Spartans, assist! They're heading into the basement. Move down to the lower levels!" Carter ordered. Six, Kat and Emile headed down to the basement. Six slid around the corner at the bottom of the steps and launched herself onto the back of an Elite standing in wait for one of them to come from the opposite staircase. The Elite let out a howl as it fell forward onto the cement. Unsheathing her combat knife, she slammed it into the side of the Elite's head, twisted, and then removed it in one quick motion. Rolling forward over the corpse, she took cover behind a pillar, barely missing three plasma bolts from a trio of Grunts. Snapping her rifle onto her back, she unholstered her M6C Pistol, poked out from behind the pillar and landed a round in each of their heads. More Grunts began to approach the moment the three dropped, with Jackals in front of them to serve as cover. Switching back to her Assault rifle, Six opened fire, but the rounds did little on the Jackal's shields as they began to advance into the doorway. But there were too many of them coming at her.<p>

"Noble, I need backup! They've got me pinned." She hissed into SQUADCOM.  
>"Gotcha Six, hold tight." Jorge replied quickly. <em>Damn it. Why him?<em> Six was beginning to feel uncomfortable around Jorge. He kept touching her, and she didn't like to be touched. He was nice enough otherwise though, but still. She kept firing and managed to take out a small handful of them, but it was as if that made no difference. When one fell, another would replace it.

_The Covenant was serious about taking Reach out, weren't they? _The thought sunk heavily into her stomach. _No, that can't happen. Reach cannot fall. We won't let it. Humanity won't let it._


	3. Chapter 3

Jorge's footsteps resonated through the floor above as he quickly came to provide assistance. Immediately opening fire, the machine gun rounds tore through the Jackals shields and the Grunts Methane packs until there was a pile of bodies in the doorway.  
>"You alright, Six?" He asked.<br>"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She growled, and looked away from him, embarrassed.  
>"Oh c'mon, Six. There isn't really much room for your pride out here. Just accept help when you need it."<br>_He's always here. Why? He's there to stop me from punching that bitch Kat. He's the first to come assist me. What's his deal? _Her angry curiosity got the best of her immediately.  
>"Why are you always the first to respond to what I'm doing?" She asked, staring up at the larger Spartan.<br>"What're you talking about?"  
>"Like when I wanted to punch Kat."<br>"It's my job, Six. We have to stick together. That's just how it works. Five and Six are the grunts of the squad. We do the most work, so we have to watch out for one another. That's how it was with the-...The other Six."  
>"Then why do you keep <em>touching<em> me?" She shouted, "That isn't _normal for a Spartan._"

Jorge took a step backwards, lowered his weapon, and looked away. "Normal? Perhaps not. But excuse me for trying to make the newest addition to the team feel welcome. Don't be expecting my help any more then, Six." She was taken aback. He sounded…hurt? Six tilted her head to the side and began to say something, but Jorge had already begun up the stairs again.

"Noble Leader, enemy dropship inbound." Jun's voice snapped her out of what had just happened and she headed out of the building with the rest of the squad. Following their lead to a bridge across a river, they were greeted by more Covenant forces, but they were quickly taken care of.  
>Continuing onward, they ran into Ultra Elites, which although took more effort to get rid of, were also killed off.<br>"More activity to the North-East," Jun reported. Carter's calculating mind came up with a solution quickly. "Emile, you're with Kat. Six and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost." Keep them out of battle for now, so that they could provide assistance later. Jun's Falcon landed briefly to pick the two up, and departed for the outpost. Motioning for Six and Jorge to follow him, he led the two to a truck that was conveniently waiting just a short distance away. Six took the wheel, Carter, passenger, and Jorge served as the gunner. Driving in silence, they eliminated the forces they encountered like skilled assassins. Except much messier.

This continued on as they reached a group of Marines in need of support and evac, and up until they reached the Relay. Cautiously, Noble Team entered the building, encountering no enemy forces, surprisingly enough. Everything was quiet, until they reached the control room. A body lay on the floor, and an injured trooper sat in a corner, holding onto his bleeding side.  
>"Six, search that body," Carter ordered as he addressed the trooper.<br>Patting down the body, she found a data module in one of the man's pockets."Found something—" She began, only to have Kat rip it from her hand before she had a chance to say anything else.  
>"I'll take that, Six. Not your domain," she hissed. Six made a fist again, but managed to restrain herself from hitting her, remembering Jorge's words.<p>

"I've got a live one over here. Come on, out you come." He lifted a teenage girl out of her hiding spot, "It's alright, we're not going to hurt you." He tried to reassure her, but she thrashed about madly, screaming in Hungarian and hitting him.  
>"Jorge…" Carter began, but Jorge interrupted her.<br>"I've got her," he replied sternly. Setting down his weapon, he grabbed the girl by both wrists. "Keep still, and I'll release you."  
>She turned away from him, and whispered now in Hungarian. "Még...Itt vannak." <em>There's more.<em>

An Elite Field Marshall dropped down from the ceiling, barely missing Jorge, who twisted the girl behind himself to cover her. The Field Marshall snarled at the rest of the team, who had weapons at the ready. Two Zealots followed it down from the ceiling. The Marshall lunged forward, swinging its energy sword at Kat, barely missing slicing her in half. Six, having opened fire the moment it moved, managed to knock out it's shields, but was thrown to the ground as it ran past her. A Zealot pounced on top of her a moment later, extended an Energy Dagger from its arm and stabbed her in the stomach. Shoving it's arm away, she landed a solid punch against the side of the Elite's head, stunning it long enough for Carter to be able to kick it off of her. She scrambled to her feet as it made a run for the nearest door and snatched up the wounded trooper, who grunted and struggled to get free. _Bastards, using him as a shield!_ Adrenaline surged through her body, forcing her to ignore the hole in her stomach. The girl they found screamed, terrified.

Emile's voice popped up on the radio, "That tango blew past me. Permission to pursue?"  
>Carter shook his head, "Negative Four, stay on the entrance. Two, handle her. Five and Six, clear the hole."<p>

Entering the doorway the enemy had gone through, Jorge pulled the doors closed. They weren't going to get out this way, that's for sure. "I've got you covered, Six." He said in a monotone voice. It was good to know that despite how she had treated him just a short while ago, that he still had her back. She watched him heft up his gun, and the two carefully started after the Zealots.  
>"So, er, how was life on Onyx? Y'know…Curahee?" He asked in a private channel.<br>"Fine. One of yours trained us. Kurt. Him and Mendez."  
>"Ah, very good. Never knew what happened to Mendez after graduation day."<br>"Yeah."  
>"Must've been hard, knowing your entire Company—save for four—was wiped out."<br>"I never liked them much. But who would've thought I'd get stuck in a squad with the one I hated the most?"  
>Jorge chuckled as they opened fire on a squad of Grunts and Jackals, taking them out quickly.<br>"Six, have you ever…taken off your helmet?"  
>She stopped, confused by the question.<p>

"Yes, of course I have. Why?"  
>"You don't seem to do it as freely as the rest of Noble."<br>"Emile doesn't."  
>"Emile is probably as ugly as his faceplate makes me think he is." It was Six's turn to chuckle. Just a simple 'heh', but it was still a laugh nonetheless.<p>

"I wouldn't mind seeing you without your—" Jorge caught himself, perhaps a little too late, and all together stopped talking when he realized what he was saying. Just in time too, for the pair had located the Zealots. "Distract them, Jorge, and let me do the rest." Six ordered and snuck up a ramp towards the blocked doorway they had encountered. Jorge opened fire, prompting the Zealot pair to exit the doorway. When the second one came out, Six sprung into action immediately and jumped down from the ledge that she had climbed up onto. Landing square on its shoulders, she flipped forward and slammed it onto its back. Shoving her fist into its screaming mouth, she unsheathed her combat knife, slit its throat and did a graceful flip away from the body. The first Zealot began advancing upon her with an energy sword, but she hardly looked threatened by it. It swung at her, and she caught it by the wrist of its opposite arm. It gave a sharp jerk, wrenching itself free of her grip, and swung at her again, this time slicing her across her chest plate and making her gasp out of surprise. Staggering backwards, the Zealot took the opportunity to knock her down with a sharp kick. Six's eyes grew wide as the Elite snarled in her face, and she threw her arms up to shield herself when the roar of Jorge's machine gun broke through the air. The rounds tore through the Zealot like individual blades, and sent the heavy monster limp on top of her. Letting out a cry, she desperately tried to shove it off.

"Jorge! JORGE!"  
>"Oh shove it, I'm on my way."<p>

He casually made his way down the steps and to where she lay flattened by the Zealot and peeled it off of her with a chuckle.

"What would you do without me?" He asked.  
>"I'd be relaxing on a Frigate by <em>myself.<em>"

Jorge reeled back a step as she got up and didn't reply to what she said. Hefting his machine gun back up, he started down the hallway.


	4. Chapter 4

"Noble Five reporting, contacts neutralized." Jorge growled low through the COM to Carter. Six followed after him cautiously, staying back by at least five or so feet. Shoving her combat knife back into its holster, she ran her fingers over the scorched slash across her chest and back at Jorge. _What the hell are you upset about? I didn't ask you to help me. Don't expect me to appreciate it._

"Kat needs you to reset a junction. Do it and get back here," Carter hissed back in response. Jorge slammed a fist against the junctions reset button and turned right around to head back to the rest of Noble Team. Again, Six followed a nice little distance behind him, her hand still resting on the deep scratch. Jorge's behavior was annoying the hell out of her. She'd never known a Spartan that acted even remotely close to him. He had _emotions _and for all it concerned her, it was beyond strange.

"Jorge," she muttered softly, and got nothing from him. "Jorge, what the hell is with you? You're a SPARTAN, and a two for fucks sake. You're supposed to be the best of the best, and yet here _you_ are trying to make friends and get me to like you. Why? What _is it?_ Why can't you just leave me to my own business? I would've been fine with that Zealot, you know. I didn't ask for you to help me."

He twisted around sharply to face her and tossed his gun aside, leaving it to hit the ground with a sharp bang. Advancing towards Six, she instinctively stepped backwards away from him, until her back was against a wall. She narrowed her eyes and tried to ignore every instinct that screamed at her to defend herself. She decided it would be best to at the very least stand her ground. She remained resolute, and stared straight into his visor.

"Are you that thick? Don't you realize what's going on here? Of course not, you little monster." He towered over her,"Well let me explain it for you then, hm?" He set a hand against the wall next to her, and she looked at it briefly. It was trembling. Why would his hand be trembling? She pushed the thought aside for a moment and looked back up at him. "From the moment you stepped into Noble's little makeshift base, a feeling came over me, and at first I didn't know what it was. Like a pain in my heart." He pressed a closed fist against his chest. "And right away I realized what it meant. '_I have to protect her with everything I have.'_I don't know why my heart told me what it did, but I'm a strong believer in what the heart says. So if you have a problem with that, then that's fine, I could give a damn. But I will continue to follow my heart whether you want me to or not." Removing his other hand off of the wall, he used it to remove his helmet. It popped off with a hiss to reveal the Spartan's battle lined face, and his light hazel eyes. She tilted her head a fraction to the left when she noticed his eyes didn't look as angry as she thought they would. They looked...soft. Calm. Jorge's helmet hit the ground with a thud, making her jump. Gently he brushed his thumb across the jawline of her helmet.

"There's only one conclusion I can reach from this. What's your take?"  
>"That you have a heart problem?" She asked, innocently enough.<br>He chuckled, "no, Six, it means-"

"Jorge, Six, what the hell's taking so long? Get back here now!" Carter barked through the COM, startling Six further. Embarrassed, she tried to shove Jorge away. "We should probably get back-"  
>"Take your helmet off."<br>"But Carter-"  
>"Just do it, Six. Please."<p>

She stared up at him, unsure of whether or not to actually do what he said. She didn't like taking her helmet off. It was a part of who she was, part of what made her unique. Sure, Spartans wouldn't give a flying fuck about uniqueness, but that wasn't important. Six reached up and disengaged the mechanism that kept the helmet nicely secured to the rest of her MJOLNIR armor. It popped off with a little hiss, and she removed it. Loosely hanging from her fingertips, she let her helmet fall to her side, and she looked up at him.

Six had an elegant though slightly square face, with short black hair that shot up into spikes once her helmet had been removed. Her eyes were slightly almond shaped and shone an unnatural, almost metallic gray-blue. Scars lay in various positions on her face, but the most prominent was one that ran from the edge of her jaw on her left side, diagonally down to her collarbone on her opposite side. Curiously, Jorge brushed his fingers across the large scar on her throat.  
>"Elite?"<br>"You could say that," She growled back. "You happy now?"  
>"Ecstatic." He couldn't help but grin, which only made Six even more irritated. Did he find this funny or something? Because she sure as hell didn't.<em> You think this is hilarious don't you? I wish I could just punch you right in the mouth-<em>

She was interrupted when Jorge drew his face closer to her. His eyes half open, with a gentle look about them. Staring up into them for a few moments, she couldn't help but tilt her head to one side very slightly.  
>"What is it?"<br>"_May I kiss you?"_

Six gasped, eyes wide, "wh-what?"  
>"May I kiss you. Simple question." He raised one eyebrow at her, and waited.<br>"B-But-"  
>Figuring they didn't have much time for her to stumble all over her response, Jorge edged forward just a touch further and pressed his lips against hers. Shocked, Six tried to wriggle away from him. But in the position she was in, there was no where she could go. Eyes still wide, a sudden electric feeling coursed through her body, and her muscles relaxed, allowing her to return the kiss. Cautiously, he parted her lips with his tongue, receiving little resistance from her. Taking this as a positive sign, he explored her mouth with brief responses from her, then pulled away suddenly, leaving Six still in the moment. Her eyes shot open, surprised.<br>"Come, we better head back before Carter tears our heads off," Jorge said with a grin.  
>She narrowed her eyes again, and shoved him back a step. "Asshole, you did that on purpose!" She hissed and forced her helmet back on. "Let's see if you can get me to do that again."<br>He merely chuckled, put his helmet back on as well, and turned to head back towards Noble Team. Six followed a ways behind, seething with rage.

_Protect me my ass. He must think I'm just some sort of toy to manipulate. He treated me like a toy, making me murder innocent civilians, do his dirty work. I'm not letting that happen again. I've had enough. Besides, 'Love' just doesn't exist in our lives. Not for Spartans. We're machines for war. Nothing else._

"When we get back, I want you to watch how Kat treats Carter, and vise versa."  
>"Why?" She mumbled, eyes turned towards the ground. Her DMR rested against her shoulder as they walked down the hallway.<br>"You'll see if you pay close enough attention. You know, we don't _have_ to hide our emotions, Six. It wasn't written in the '_Spartan Code' _or anything. The ancient people from Sparta lived normal lives, got married, had children. Emotions aren't a disease. Our time is too short, and too spontaneous to live with the regrets of never having told someone how you felt about them."

Six didn't bother responding, and followed after him in complete silence. It didn't take too long to get back to Noble, thankfully, and found Kat messing with an array of wires, with Carter standing over her. Emile was off a short ways, leaning against a wall, bored.

"How long Kat?" Carter asked, pacing back and forth impatiently.  
>"Question of my life," Kat replied, exasperated "If the question is when will this station be back online, two weeks, <em>earliest<em>. This is _plasma damage_. All major uplink components are fried."  
>"Two <em>minutes <em>is too long," Carter reminded her. There wasn't any time to get the entire _station _back online. The Covenant was on Reach, and they needed to get that information out as quickly as humanly possible.  
>"Which is why I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland..." Kat didn't bother hiding the annoyance in her voice."You're in my light, Commander."<br>Carter let out a sigh and left her to her work. Turning his attention to Jorge, Six slipped past them both and stood near Emile.  
>"Find out what she knows, Jorge," He motioned towards the girl they had found, and Jorge nodded an acknowledgment. Kneeling next to her, he gently touched her elbow, but she shrugged him off and turned away. Emile chuckled.<br>"What's your name? Do you live around here?" Jorge asked her gently, but she didn't respond in any way, prompting him to remove his helmet. Perhaps as proof that she had nothing to fear. That they were human.

"A nevem Jorge."  
>"Sára," She mumbled and continued to look away from everyone.<br>" 'Sára'...szép határozott név." _You're pretty strong. _"Your accent sounds familiar. Sopron?"  
>"Tengeri." She still refused to look at him. But he paid it no attention. Looking to the body that Six found, he looked back at Sára.<br>"Friend of yours?"  
>She winced. "Father."<br>"Sajnálom. I'm sorry."  
>Finally the girl looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "Why would you be?"<p>

Emile looked over at Six and shrugged his shoulders slightly at her questioning look. "Big man forgets who he is sometimes." Jorge appeared next to him, on his way to update Carter on the teenage girl's condition.  
>"She just lost her father," Jorge growled softly and turned to their Commander. "She needs a full psychiatric workup."<br>"Not the only one..." Emile mumbled, making it Six's turn to chuckle. He barely knew the half of it. But she remained quiet otherwise. Watching Jorge's fists tighten as he swung around, she couldn't help but grin. He was so strange, but she was beginning to feel oddly fascinated by him.  
>Carter jumped in to prevent confrontation, "Lock it down both of you!" Clearly the two of them never really got along. "Get her on her feet, Jorge. The body stays here."<br>"Thank you sir."

Jorge went back to Sára and gently helped her back onto her feet. Meanwhile, Kat finished her work underneath the monitor, and handed it over to Carter.  
>"I'm barely getting you, what's your situation, over?" Holland's voice cracked through the speakers.<br>"Colonel, this is Noble One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach. Acknowledge?"  
>"Come again, Noble One? Did you say <em>Covenant<em>?" Holland replied, sounding genuinely surprised.  
>"Affirmative. It's the Winter Contingency."<p>

"May God help us all."


	5. Chapter 5

**Pálháza, Reach  
>1300 Hours<br>2517**

"Ön még fáj? Kérem, hadd segítsek." _Are you hurt? Please, let me help you._

A young boy of perhaps seven years old approached a small girl who was sitting on the blacktop holding her knee and crying softly. Other children passed right by her, even a teacher_, _but for some reason, this boy decided to step away from the game he was playing and come help her up. The girl trembled slightly as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Outstretching her hand to him, she looked up and smiled weakly. He returned her smile tenfold, took her hand in his, and helped her up.

"K-Köszönöm..." _Thank you._ She stammered and brushed herself off. A bright red blush glowed across her face, and she looked away to try and hide it.  
>"You should be more careful. Maybe a teacher can get you a bandage." He reminded her innocently, and walked back off to the playground with his friends. The boy was a bit larger than the others, a bit sturdier and taller. His hair was brown and although short, standing up wildly in all directions<em>, <em>poorly kept.

"Jorge! Lépjen ki időt és gyere ide!" A boy shouted at him from the roof of one section of the playground_, _irritated.  
>"Calm down, calm down! I'm coming!" Jorge shouted back and with ease climbed up onto the series of plastic and metal to join his friends.<p>

"Our final subject," Doctor Catherine Halsey said quietly to Lieutenant Keyes, eying her data pad, as always. "Jorge."  
>Lieutenant Keyes watched the child curiously. He seemed like a very nice boy, having helped the little girl despite having been playing a ways away. Much unlike the other subjects, who actually seemed much more aggressive than other normal children. Subjects 117, 137 and quite a few others were perfect examples. 137 of course was unintentionally aggressive, having hurt numerous children at her school accidentally. A smile twitched at the edge of Jacob's mouth, glad to see that someone that they were dragging into this program actually had a heart.<br>"So how do we get him to talk to us?" He asked and adjusted his shirt awkwardly. Although he looked the part of a farmer-though perhaps a slightly overdressed one- Catherine looked more the part, as usual. Dressed in a pale green sundress, she greatly contrasted the brown and black he wore.

Once again, just a married couple looking for a school for their child.

"I'm sure we can just approach him Jacob, like we have the other subjects." Halsey replied as though already talking to a child. Her additude always annoyed him. She started off towards the playground towards the child who was perched at the top of a set of monkey bars, holding onto one bar with one hand and flicking small rocks at a boy that was walking by on the ground. He chuckled softly to himself, but stopped when he noticed her walking towards him.

"Ki az, hogy Jorge? Az anyád?" The same boy perched on the plastic rooftop teased. _Who is that, Jorge? Your mother?  
><em>"Pofa be! Még soha nem láttam előtte!" _Shut up! I've never seen her before! _Jorge growled at him and threw his entire handful of pebbles at him. Halsey stopped once she reached the monkey bars and looked up at the boy.  
><em>"<em>I've done nothing wrong," he said and stared directly into her eyes, resolute.  
>"That isn't why I'm here. I saw what you did for the girl. Why would go leave the playground to help up a girl on the other side of the blacktop?" She asked. Keyes remained behind about ten feet, recording their meeting on his data pad.<p>

Jorge tilted his head to the side and shifted his weight slightly on the metal bar. "She was crying, and no one else was helping her. I figured I'd be nice and check to see if she was alright."  
>"Do you do this often? Help people even though it doesn't involve you?"<br>"Sometimes. If I notice them."  
>"Why?"<br>_"_Papa always would tell me 'Kényeztesse valaki, hogyan kívánja kezelni.' "  
>"And what does that mean?"<br>_  
><em>He looked at her as if she was out of this world for not understanding what he said. A large number of Reach's population, especially in the rural areas like this, spoke Hungarian. So this struck him as extremely strange.

"Are you not from around here?" He asked, eyebrows raised.  
>Catherine smiled meekly; this kid was quick. "No, actually, I'm not."<br>He shifted uneasily where he sat. "May I go back to playing? Recess is almost over."

"Yes, you may, but can you tell me what your Papa would tell you?"  
>"Treat someone how you want to be treated."<br>_  
><em>

* * *

><p>Jorge-052, his new name from what the patch on his clothing said. He eyed his joyless uniform with a frown but was thrown back into reality when a stub baton slapped him in the back and sent him sprawled out on the floor. Gasping for air, he scrambled up to his feet and followed the rest of the children out into the chilly air outside.<p>

_I don't understand this. Why am I here? I'm just a kid. I was expecting to start learning how to help out on the farm, but now I'm getting shocked in the back. Did Papa sign me up for this? Was I being disobedient?  
><em>  
>Painful gasps burst from his lungs at every step he took as they ran for what felt like days. He was ready to collapse, to just quit. But he didn't want a baton to the back again. He wanted to go home. Or at least to go back to his uncomfortable cot and sleep forever. His hair was drenched with sweat. It ran down his face in long trails, and every time his feet made contact with the ground, droplets flew through the air. The other children were fairing just as well as he was, though some weren't able to go on any farther and fell to the ground like exhausted rocks. Trainees shouted at them to get up, shocked them, even kicked them, and the children wailed in pain. Unable to defend themselves, or make any other sort of response. Jorge only continued to run out of fear, out of instinct for self-preservation.<p>

A building began to form in the distance and a touch of hope swelled in his burning chest.

Slowly, Jorge gnawed on his stale crackers as a vid of wolves played and the AI who called herself "Deja" taught. Many of the children weren't even paying attention. Their minds were too fried from exhaustion. He was no different. Everything the AI said didn't seem to register in his mind, though watching the wolves was fairly interesting. Slumping forward after only having eaten half a cracker, he fell asleep before he even hit the top of the desk. The lesson carried on for those who managed to stay awake. This continued on for ages, all the work, the sweat, the pain, shutting away any memories of their past lives deep into their mind.

* * *

><p>"Doctor Halsey," Jorge asked softly, his eyes straining to stay open to watch her. "Is this another one of Mendez's exercises?" His entire body looked like a road map, incision lines placed almost everywhere. From his shaved head all the way down to his feet. He'd developed into a massive tool of war, built like a brick wall, and ten times as tough as one. "Please be honest." Jorge's voice was more of a growl now, not as much so as it would develop into when he was an adult, but it was getting there. But now, it was bogged down by the chemicals that were trying to knock him out cold. He fought it hard, in order to be able to speak with Halsey.<p>

Halsey seemed to flinch just enough for someone as sharp as a Spartan to notice. She adverted her eyes, feeling ashamed of herself once again. The sharp pain in her chest returned time and time again when she visited each trainee's room, and there was nothing she could do about it. She'd brought this upon herself.

"No Jorge, this isn't an exercise."  
>"Then what is the mission objective?" His eyelids began almost trembling as he desperately tried to keep awake.<br>"To live, Jorge. Ahhoz, hogy élni." She said quietly.  
>"I-I can't fight it..." Jorge's voice trailed off, and his eyes finally couldn't take anymore. They closed, and he drifted off.<p>

* * *

><p>"And so we commit the bodies of our fallen brothers to space."<br>Mendez solemnly closed his eyes for a moment, the ceremony completed. He pressed a control nearby, and the ash canisters were loaded into the ejection tubes. All those that could, stood at a crisp attention, silently respecting their fallen brothers and sisters. The survivors were dressed in the expected funeral black uniforms, all thirty or more of them, Jorge among them. He felt lucky for having made it, but also deeply regretful.  
>"Honors...ten hut!" Mendez barked. They snapped into solute. An ache rising from his core shot through his entire body at the swift movement, but he pushed past it and kept solemn.<p>

"Duty," Mendez said. "Honor and sef sacrifice. Death does not diminish these qualities in a soldier. We shall remember."  
>A series of thumps resounded through the Atlas's hull as the canisters were cast into space. The view screen nearby lit up and displayed a bright field of stars, and the canisters drifted past as the Atlas continued on its way. Jorge couldn't help but question why this happened. They had all worked so hard, so much blood and sweat and tears those that were lost poured into every day of training.<p>

They all pushed themselves, but had he survived because he pushed that little bit harder? Had the others done the same? He really didn't know. This may have been a victory for him, but with this as the cost? He didn't like it.


	6. Chapter 6

**It warms my heart to see how many hits  
>this story has gotten, and I'm only on Chapter 6!<br>Thank you everyone.  
><span>And I must warn, mature content ahead.<span>  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>24 July 2552<em>**  
><strong><em>1832 Hours<em>**  
><strong><em>GEOTAG: Noble Base, Reach<em>**

Back at base, Noble Team was going about their usual post-mission rituals. Carter was further updating Colonel Holland about what was seen out on the way to the Visegrad Relay, his stern voice reverberated through the teams little base of operations.  
>"Upon arrival at the Relay, a data chip was recovered off of the only body that we encountered. A civilian female was found hiding nearby, as was a single marine who was used as a hostage by enemy Zealots that were later engaged."<br>"Zealots?" Holland actually sounded a bit surprised.  
>"Yes sir. The marine didn't make it. Additionally, the civilian female turned out to be the daughter of the man carrying the data chip. She-"<br>"Not important. So you say Zealots were after this Data Chip, yes?"  
>"All actions carried out by the Zealots suggested so, sir."<br>Holland paused for a good full minute before he spoke again. "Interesting. Keep me posted Noble-One. Holland out."  
>"Yes sir."<p>

Kat was busy fiddling with her cybernetic arm nearby, trying to recalibrate it after it was slashed by the blade of one of the Zealots. For once, she was being quiet. Only when she was concentrating did she not make snide comments, unless someone broke that concentration by speaking to her.  
>Jun and Emile were sparring right outside the base, although it was more of Emile doing the sparring whilst Jun defended. The close-quarters specialist jabbed almost playfully at Jun's raised arms and taunted him to swing back, just for the sake of the sniper trying to swing back at him. Back inside, Six was propped up on a medical table treating her wounds, stitching the one in her stomach closed. The entrance to the wound had been burned to near cauterization, but stitching it closed would help it develop into yet another scar. Obviously she was out of her armor, all of Noble was, and at the moment she was nearly naked except for some shorts and some bandages covering her chest.<p>

Sewing the final stitch in, she cut the thick medical thread, unclenched her teeth, and let out a long exhale. All finished.

A heavy knock came at the door, startling Six. Scrambling for anything to cover herself, she found an old medical gown in a drawer a few feet away, threw it on, and hid behind the door. Jorge poked his head in, looked around and walked inside. Dressed in a simple black shirt and cargo pants, he was glad to be out of his armor for a short while. Shuffling through a drawer, he mumbled to himself as he searched for a roll of bandages. "Bloody idiot. He knows Jun can't spar worth a damn...Oh, there you are." The roll was laying on the table where Six had just been, and he strode over to it to pick it up. Looking up, Jorge caught sight of her hiding behind the door, her face burning red.  
>"Oh-Um, sorry Six, I didn't know you were in here."<br>"You knocked."  
>"You didn't respond," He defended with a casual shrug. Six frowned. He had a good point, but she wasn't about to agree with him.<p>

Catching him eying her for just a brief moment, she couldn't help but shout at him. "JORGE!"  
>He blinked once and snapped out of it, "What? What is it?"<br>"What the hell is wrong with you?"  
>"I couldn't help it, you look so cute in that medical gown."<br>She blushed even further and slammed closed the door. "Knock that off! If Carter catches us-"  
>"What is he going to do?" Jorge replied sharply. "Nothing, that's what. Now just calm down, understood?"<p>

"Fine, whatever. Now can you just leave? I have to finish up here."  
>"Oh don't be like that, Six. Maybe I could help you?"<br>She got out of her little hiding spot and went over to him, and stared right up into his eyes. "Thanks for the offer, but I can handle it."  
>Jorge couldn't help but chuckle, "don't try and intimidate me while you're in a paper thin medical gown, love." A smirk formed on his face, a smirk that Six didn't like at all. He gave her a once over quickly before placing a hand on her hip. "How's that wound treating you?"<br>"It's fine."  
>"You sure? There's some blood staining your little gown there. I'm guessing I interrupted before you could fully patch it up, hm?"<br>"Yes, you kind of did."  
>"Come now, just let me help you," Jorge insisted, his eyes seemed to glow innocently.<br>She narrowed her eyes and frowned slightly, defeated. "Fine, but make it quick. Just wrap it up and leave me be."

Six turned around and reluctantly let the cheap gown slide off of her. Picking at the bandages around her chest for a moment, she turned to look at him. "Alright."  
>He took the roll of bandage that was in his hand-originally intended on giving to Jun- unwrapped a generous length and wrapped it around her stomach. Electricity shot up her spine, making her shudder sharply and causing Jorge to freeze. "Hm? Problem?"<br>"No, nothing," she mumbled softly.  
>"Alright then." He continued on, his touch was gentle, making Six's blush burn her face even harder. What felt like hours passed, and Jorge finally finished.<p>

"There we are," he said softly, "all patched."  
>"Thanks Jorge," Six muttered in response.<br>Cautiously he wrapped his arms around her waist, testing to see if she'd push him away, but she didn't. Venturing further, he rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. "Six, y'know I never learned your name..."  
>"...Alyss."<p>

A strange sense of calm seemed to wash over her now from his touch. The electricity that arose was still there, but nervousness didn't come with it. In fact, she was welcoming it now, and leaned her back against him. "Beautiful name," He whispered, his breath hot against her skin, "...Alyss..." She sighed softly and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that enveloped her entire body. Lightly he brushed a kiss onto her shoulder, then another, and another, all the way up the side of her neck. Leaning her head to the opposite side, Alyss brought her hand up and onto the back of his head, inviting him to continue. Slowly, he traced his tongue over the beginning of the scar on her jawline and turned her around to face him. Crossing from her neck up to her lips, the two shared a brief kiss before he parted her lips and the exploration began once again. As if locked in a dance, their tongues maneuvered around each other slowly, getting better acquainted. He placed one hand on the back of her head, directing her movement gently. His other hand was placed on her hip, which he used to direct her forward just a bit more against him. Startled, she inhaled sharply, and tried to pull away, but he kept her close.

"It's alright," Jorge groaned, "Just trust me."

Tenderly brushing his hand downward from her hip, he caressed her thigh for a moment before placing it upon her bottom and picking Alyss up. She inhaled sharply again as he begun licking at her scar once more, and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. For a moment, he pulled away and looked her straight in the eyes. Something seemed to burn within them, something she couldn't quite put a name on.

"You _do_ trust me, don't you?" He whispered.  
>Alyss rested her forehead against his, "I trust you," she replied softly.<p>

A smile twitched at the edges of his mouth, and his attention turned downward for a moment. "Close your eyes," He ordered, and she complied quickly. Still holding her up, she could feel his free hand gingerly slip off her shorts.  
>"There we are..." Jorge whispered, and shed his own garments as well. He rubbed his length against her for a moment before slowly entering her. For an instant, every muscle in her body tensed and she gasped, reflexes causing her to dig her nails into his skin. Her eyes shot open and a single violent tremor shook her entire body. Their eyes met again, Jorge's face was set in concentration, but gave Alyss the time to look him over a bit. His chest was bare, littered with burns, old bullet scars, and plasma dagger holes.<p>

She brushed her fingers across the many scars on his chest for a brief moment, before he ventured further, taking her by surprise once more. "I said close your eyes...You'll know when to open them," He growled. Alyss cooperated and closed her eyes once more. Kissing her deeply, he continued to move in and out of her warmth and emitted a hoarse groan. Clutching him tighter, she began to tremble with each motion and tore herself from the kiss to hide her face in his shoulder. A moan escaped her lips, but was muffled by his bare skin. Jorge began thrusting quickly now, causing Alyss to tremble intensely. A feeling unlike any other overcame her, sending every nerve in her body into a frenzy and making her cry out from the wonderful sensation. The same feeling overcame Jorge, making him groan and press Alyss's closer at the sudden release. Wrapping his right arm around her back, they embraced and kept still for a few long moments.

Alyss continued to tremble furiously, but gave no other movements, prompting Jorge to cautiously pull her away from his shoulder. Staring into each others eyes, a heavy feeling overcame her heart now. _Was this the feeling you were talking about? This feeling you couldn't explain._

There was no denying that feeling. It _was_ love._  
>"<em>I-I love you, Jorge," Alyss gasped_.  
>"<em>And I love you, Alyss."  
><em><br>_


	7. Chapter 7

**Jorgey's naughty isn't he?  
>I'm glad you all liked it.<br>Oh and sorry for the long wait! I've suffered a horrible bout of Writer's Block since the last chapter.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>24 July 2552<em>**  
><strong><em>1859 Hours<em>**  
><strong><em>GEOTAG: Noble Base, Reach<em>**

Jorge carefully set Alyss back onto the floor, his legs were trembling furiously so he slid his knee length shorts back on and sat back on the medical table to ease it. Alyss slipped on her clothes as well, and with a questioning little glance, straddled him and rested her forehead against his once more. The two silently stared at each other for a few long moments before Jorge grinned like a fool.  
>"Well that was fun, wouldn't you agree?"<br>Alyss frowned, and looked away, "Not really."  
>His eyebrows shot up, "Oh? You sure?"<br>She turned back to him and grinned, "Pretty sure."

A knock came at the door, startling the both of them enough that Alyss nearly fell off Jorge's lap. Exchanging a quick glance, Alyss took cover, and Jun stormed in, blood running down his arm from a nice sized wound. "What the hell Jorge? I send you to get just some bandages, and it takes you a half hour to get them?" Jorge chuckled and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh, right, my bad. I guess I just got distracted is all."  
>"Well stay focused next time, you know as well as I do how Emile gets."<br>"Then why are you always the one to spar with him?" Jorge countered, sending the ever chatty sniper quiet. A rare feat. Swiping the roll of bandages from Jorge's hand, he examined the roll. "There's blood on this, who was in here?"  
>"Six was. She got stabbed by one of the Zealots."<br>"Oh, is she alright?"  
>"She's fine. You can go now, you know."<br>Jun frowned, "Fine, whatever." Waiting for him to leave, Alyss came out of her little hiding spot, and rolled her eyes, "What the hell was that? He was talking to you like you're a child."  
>Jorge shrugged, "I really don't know. Jun's just like that. I've learned to just accept it."<br>"Well that's not right." Her attention drifted back to the door, and she stared at it for a few seconds. "C'mon, let's go. I'm feeling claustrophobic. Besides, Carter wanted us to rest up for whenever Holland wants us again." Jorge nodded, and the two set off for their quarters, which were right down a separate short hallway. Each of them had their own quarters, each in order of their number in Noble Team, making Jorge and Alyss right next to each other. In silence, the two stared at each other for a few long moments, not knowing what to do, then Jorge cleared his throat awkwardly and smiled. "Goodnight, Six."  
>"Goodnight Jorge." She returned his smile, and the two broke off into their own quarters.<p>

Sitting down on her slightly-more-comfortable-than-concrete cot, she rested against the wall and attempted to bring her knees up towards her chest and let out a yelp when a terrible pain shot through her abdomen. Looking down at her bandaged body, a warm feeling soon followed, and she smiled to herself.  
><em>I'm sorry, Jorge. I was horrible to you. But now I understand.<em>

She remained on her cot for what felt like hours, simply thinking, until a single thought popped into her mind. The Covenant was here. This may be their last moment of down time. Why not make it worth it?  
>Cautiously getting up, Alyss quietly made her way to Jorge's quarters, and found him still awake, though lying down on his side facing the door. She could see him look over at her-enhanced vision from augmentation was a great thing- but he didn't move, or say a word. Stepping over to him and dodging his various armor pieces that were cast across the floor, she crawled onto his over sized cot with him. Still, neither said a word, and Jorge wrapped one arm around her waist, and pulled her just a little bit closer to him. It didn't take long for the two to drift off into sleep.<p>

The following day came, with little to do but help with the evacuation of major Reach citizens, something that Alyss did not like at all. But perhaps this could be a form of redemption? Who knew.

"Alright Noble, this should be just a quick evac, get the mayor, get his assistants, and back here to the Pelican." Carter explained to Noble Team, which as usual was commandeering two Falcons, with a Pelican between them. "Covenant haven't been spotted in this sector yet, so let's hope that doesn't change." An entire city passed below them, nothing more than a blur, then another approached, and the massive form of a single white building came into view.  
>"A beaming signal for the Covenant, wouldn't you think?" Jun chirped with a slight laugh. "It just screams 'Come get me, I'm important.' "<br>"Emile, you and Six go take care of those in the left wing of the building-" Carter began, but Jorge interrupted.  
>"Sir, don't you think that's a bad pair? The two can't handle civilians very well. Why don't I go with Six?" He offered.<br>Carter looked over at the other Falcon, and didn't say anything for a moment, contemplating. "Alright fine, Jorge and Six, take left. Emile, Jun, take right. Kat and I will secure the mayor."

The Falcons began their descent slowly and carefully, and landed gently on the front lawn of the mayors building. Quickly, Noble team leaped out, gave the area a quick sweep, and started towards the entrance. There were two bodyguards by the door, who didn't hesitate to let the Spartans enter. Quickly they branched off into their assigned sections of the building, and as Alyss and Jorge headed up the elevator to the next floor, the building trembled suddenly, sending her stumbling into Jorge. He wrapped an arm around her quickly, and looked around.  
>"Bloody hell, what was that?"<br>"Noble Team! Come in! We're under fire! Repeat, we are under fire!" The pilot from the evac Pelican's voice came over the COM, his voice trembling.  
>"Golf one-oh-three, get the hell out of there, we can't afford losing you! Lima two-five-nine, oh-nine-nine, provide support. We'll just have to hunker down here until you've cleared the skies." Carter ordered harshly, and a muffled curse from Kat could be heard as well.<p>

"Can do, sir. We'll do what we can."

Alyss hooked her DMR onto her back with a pleasant click, and the elevator doors opened for them. Leaving his massive machine gun by the elevator doors, the two made their way down the single hallway and into a massive room full of various people who hadn't even noticed that the building had been shaking just a moment ago.  
>"What the hell do they think this is?" Alyss growled softly to herself.<br>Jorge stepped forward a few steps, into an aisle that ran between both sides of the room, which were filled with desks which glowed brightly, and various other types of informative devices. There were even a few paper books laying around.

"Attention!" He barked, his voice was strong and echoed through the entire huge room. "We are here to evacuate you lot, so I expect everything to be dropped as soon as I finish speaking and for everyone to get into a single file line for the elevators, do you understand? Your work does not matter anymore. The only thing that matters is getting as many people out of here as we possibly can. Understood? Now MOVE."  
>On cue, everyone dropped exactly what they were doing, and swiftly started towards the two Spartans as they lead the pack of officials to the pair of elevators. For added motivation, Alyss removed her DMR from her back once more, and stood by the doors to organize the loading.<p>

A rather young girl, perhaps in her early twenties eyed Alyss curiously as she waited in the line. Noticing this, Alyss cocked her head to the side at her, and the girl grinned. "Oh my god, you're a girl? I was told Spartans were only males! You must be pretty butch. That's so gross!" Surprised, a shock of anger surged through her, and she shouldered her DMR. "Excuse me, you little bitch? You're going to go and insult the person who's responsible for keeping you alive?"  
>"Pssh, whatever, I know how to shoot a gun."<p>

Jorge looked over at them, and moved in to intervene, but Alyss held an open palmed hand out at him.  
>"Shooting a gun doesn't matter in war, especially when the enemy has weaponry that is twenty-fold superior to ours. Their weapons burn through armor, burn through skin, and burn through bone. They can destroy our ships with a single shot. Do you think you'll be able to handle that? Will you be able to handle seeing everyone you love die at their hands? Their skin burned clean off their faces? You do not know what you're messing with, you little bitch. You think your little position in the government is going to help you? Well hell no, it will not. Today, your life is in my hands, because I am the one that has been sent here to protect you, and you do not want to piss off those who were given no other choice but to risk themselves for unappreciative pieces of shit like yourself. You will get in that elevator, and you will follow the orders you are given if you don't want to see the horrors of this war, got it?"<p>

The girl stood shocked, her eyes wide and skin pale, as were the people around her, all silenced by her words. Smirking to herself, she turned and walked back to the elevator doors, now with a satisfied little swing in her step. Jorge was even frozen in place too, but for only a moment before he waved the next set of civilians into the elevators. There were around thirty of them, and at most, the tiny elevators could hold five.

"Five, Six, report," Carter's voice popped up, sending Six back into the real world.  
>"Sending our last group down, sir." She replied.<br>"Good. Kat and I are setting up some cover in front of where everyone's going to be held. Come down immediately. Golf said he spotted two phantoms inbound."

She turned to Jorge, who was watching her closely. "Well, looks like the fun's about to start."  
>"You didn't have to chew that girl out like that, you know. You have to be gentle with them."<br>"Gentle? She needed to get it knocked into her skull that this isn't a laughing matter. You and I both know that."

They entered one of the elevators, Alyss popped off her helmet, and Jorge did the same. Staring at each other, she smiled, rose up on her toes to better reach his level, and kissed him.  
>"Let's give 'em hell."<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Thick wooden desks and shelving units were propped up all around the doors to the conference hall on the first floor of the building, providing ample but easily destructible cover for Noble Team. Not wasting any time, Alyss and Jorge hunkered down behind one of them and readied themselves. Up above, sat Jun on a balcony, the only useful point he had in this entire building. The curse of constantly carrying around a sniper rifle. Carter and Kat positioned themselves behind some cover as well, right down the center of the room, and remained close together. Emile was closest to the doors, with his shotgun at the ready. The eerie cries of the incoming phantoms pierced the walls of the building, and two dark shadows fell across the courtyard outside.

"On my mark, Noble," Carter whispered as the doors opened. A series of Grunts waddled into the room, barking at each other like foolish little dogs. Twenty total. Jackals coming up right behind them, their shields up and ready, but they approached with little caution.  
>"Three..."<br>One Grunt, who was a bit overly curious, wandered up to Emile's cover, and sniffed the wood loudly. One of its friends tugged at its arm, and their strange language echoed through the area, probably warning not to get too close. Emile squirmed where he crouched, wanting to pounce.  
>"Two..."<br>"C'mon, it's right there. Let me get it." Emile growled.  
>Now the Elites were beginning to enter, their armor gleaming like beacons.<br>"One... MARK."

In a flash, Emile burst from his cover and swung his Kukri straight at the nearby Grunt, lobbing off its head. With his other hand, he fired at a Jackal, and sliced another grunt before dashing towards farther cover. Kat popped up from her spot in the back and opened fire with her pistol, her shots landing with ease on those that were nearby. An ear splitting crack came from behind them, and two Elites fell, followed by two Jackals. Six and Jorge popped up from their cover as well, the Spartan-II's machine gun roaring to life. Bullets tore through the air from every direction, and the returning plasma fire made the air crackle crisply from the sheer heat. Six watched a plasma grenade fly by, and land in Emile's range. But before she could warn him, he managed to notice it, and jumped out of the way.

"Am I the only one that has a feeling this is way too easy?" Jorge asked.  
>"Yeah, I wonder what the catch is." Jun chimed in.<br>"All of them are Minors. Why send in Minors for this sort of job?" Six added, and slammed a new magazine into her MA37 Rifle. She was more than just suspicious. It was obvious that there was something going on here, something they were planning.

Noble continued to fend off the attack, bodies littered the floor, and colorful blood began to intermingle in a strange morbid rainbow. Then almost suddenly, there was nothing left. Spent bullet casings were everywhere, and the Spartans-still on high alert- remained in their positions. It was quiet for only a few moments before another dropship arrived. The shadow of the U-shaped vehicle loomed just outside, but as Noble Team watched and waited, none came into the building to greet them.

"...Commander, what's going on?" Kat asked quietly. Six could hear her shift around behind her cover.  
>"Not sure, Kat. Hold positions, Noble."<p>

The tension was high, but none of them moved. Jorge and Six glanced at each other, and across the room, Emile glanced at them as well, offering only a shrug. They waited like this for quite some time, until the terrible feeling that came over Six began to get worse. She looked around once again, her Assault Rifle ready. "I have a bad feeling about this..." She mumbled over the COM, and turned to check her left side again, where Jorge was crouched.

Something made the air shimmer behind him, and her heart nearly missed a beat.

"JORGE LOOK OUT!" She cried just a moment too late. In only a second an Energy Sword flared to life, and stabbed the Spartan straight through the back. He barely had any time to react before he fell to the ground.  
>"We've been engaged! Damn it, Jorge, hang on." Opening fire upon the camouflaged Elite, its shields popped, and all hell broke loose. There was another scream, this time from Carter. A stream of swears filled the COM from Kat, and the remaining members of Noble desperately searched and opened fire on the rest of the Elites that surrounded them.<p>

The second her immediate area was clear, Six ripped a Biofoam can off her belt, snapped the cap off, and gently rolled Jorge onto his back. The sword had gone straight through the Spartan's chest plate. But luckily for everyone it had missed his heart. Just by looking at the wound she knew that his left lung was pretty much gone. "Alright, this's gonna hurt like hell Jorge." She took the Biofoam and began to fill the hole in his chest when he snapped his hand around her wrist and hissed through clenched teeth to prevent himself from crying out.

"Damn it, the Commander's down too. Six, we need you to provide more cover fire!"  
>"Kat I had to treat Jorge, give me a second!" She snapped back at her. Tugging at Jorge's arm to try and get him to let go, he managed to loosen his grip enough to let her go despite how hard he was shaking. Picking her rifle back up off the floor, she spun around just in time to slam the butt of her rifle into another camouflaged Elite. Firing a quick burst into its mouth when it reeled backwards, the Elite fell in a heap. Dead.<p>

It took only a few more minutes for the remaining members of Noble Team to take out the rest of the hostiles. Emile cussed low to himself over the COM, and shook the thick purple-blue blood off his armor, Kat began to tend to Carter's wound, and Jun was coming down from the balcony.

"Golf one-oh-three, come in, over." Jun attempted to call the Pelican. There was a long silence, which sent a pang of worry through Noble Six, and then Golf 103 responded.  
>" 'm here, Noble team! Just barely made it. Got another one with me for evac."<br>"Good. We're all clear and ready for evac. We'll be waiting outside for you."


End file.
